Mobile communication systems are provided with a mobile switching center (MSC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a mobile station (MS), and the like. A communication possible area can be extended where multiple BTS units are installed. However, when a signal transmitted from the BTS is propagated over air, the signal may be weakened. Since signal strength may be further weakened due to natural and artificial obstacles such as a mountain, a building, a building underground, a tunnel, the inside of a building, and the like, there may occur a partial communication shadow zone where smooth reception of the MS is impossible. In mobile communication and broadcast networks, repeaters are widely used for coverage extension and electronic wave shadow zone reduction. A radio frequency (RF) repeater is cheaper since signals are communicated between it and a base station without having to construct a special transmission line.
In telecommunications, circuit 100 of FIG. 1 is currently used to attach a telemetry radio 106 to an in-building repeater 104 requires that repeater 104 be fully operational to transmit telemetry data to a System Operations Center (SoC). Repeater 104 transmits-receives signals from a base station over a donor antenna 102. Repeater 104 transmits-receives signals to mobile stations by coupling to tee-junction 110 and then to service antenna 100. Telemetry radio 106 transmits-receives from donor antenna 102 over tee-junction 110 and through repeater 104. As such, the wireless communication path of telemetry radio 106 traverses repeater 104. Data connection 114 can be a hardwired network link, for example, an Ethernet link. When repeater 104 fails or becomes impaired, a loss of communication with telemetry radio 106 is the only indication of this failure to the SoC. As such, the traditional repeater circuit fails to communicate impairment in a repeater's Operations, Administration, Maintenance & Provisioning (OAM&P) link. As such, personnel must be dispatched to service the unit. A different approach to communicating with the telemetry radio is needed.
The teachings have some resemblance to the “hybrid combining” technique known in the art. However, hybrid combining can have much more loss than the present teachings. In a hybrid combiner, multiple inputs can cause interference among one another on the output. In the present configuration, a donor base station treats the first wireless device and the second wireless device, e.g., a repeater and a telemetry radio, as separate units, assigning them unique, non-colliding frequencies